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STAINED releases in paperback on May 11th! To celebrate, I’m hosting this contest. Share to win 1 of 3 Limited Edition T-shirts, or a Limited Edition T-shirt plus a signed copy of SCARS, STAINED, and HUNTED.

To enter: Share one or both contest images; copy & paste this paragraph; follow Cheryl Rainfield (on Instagram, Facebook, or Twitter); and tag @CherylRainfield. This contest is to celebrate STAINED paperback releasing May 11th! T-shirts are also available for purchase at teespring.com/cherylrainfield Full contest rules on CherylRainfield.com/blog.

Twitter contest tweet: “Share to win 1 of 3 Inspirational T-shirts plus 3 signed books by @CherylRainfield” (or whatever message you want as long as you tag me and include the contest image).

You get 1 entry for each social media you share this on. Remember to tag CherylRainfield so I can see your entry.

You get 10 entries for each copy of STAINED that you buy. Yes, this includes any copy you’ve already purchased, in any format. Email a receipt to Cheryl(at)CherylRainfield(dot)com

T-Shirt has two inspirational quotes–one on the front, and one on the back.

Open to US, Canada, UK, and New Zealand readers.

Contest ends March 30, 2015 at Midnight EST.

Winner will be chosen randomly using the Random Number Generator.

and other new YA books at a contest over at Adventures In YA Publishing. You have 27 more days to enter.

The books you can win are:
These Gentle Wounds by Helene Dunbar
Wish You Were Italian by Kristin Rae
The Eighth Guardian by Meredith McCardel
Killing Ruby Rose by Jessie Humphries
The Eighth Guardian by Meredith McCardel
and
Stained by Cheryl Rainfield (me).

Today I interview Karen DelleCava, author of realistic YA A Closer Look, which deals with a teen who has alopecia–her hair falling out. If you read the interview and leave a comment on this post, you’ll be entered to win a copy of A Closer Look PLUS a surprise gift but “Do not open it until page 153.” Open to US and Canadian residents. To gain up to two extra entries, share a link to this interview on FaceBook and/or on Twitter (one extra entry for each format), and mention that you did so in the comments. Contest runs for a week, starting today.

But first, we’ve got a brief excerpt from A Closer Look:

“…and there were these moments–when we laughed on the phone, or met for a kiss-and-run, when I noticed the sweet way he looked at me–well, I felt so good I could almost forget about my secret. But in the back of my mind, it was like an invisible fist was lurking, one that followed me around, just waiting for the chance to rip out more hair.”

And one of my favorite authors, Margaret Peterson Haddix (Multiple award-winning author of middle grade and young adult fiction), had this to say about Karen’s book:

“In A Closer Look, author Karen DelleCava gives readers a feisty character who deals with family secrets, boyfriend complications, a cruel teammate–and her own body turning against her. Readers will be rooting for Cassie all along, and will want to cheer for the way she proves that losing your hair doesn’t have to mean losing your spirit.”

Wow! Doesn’t that make you want to read the book?? Now, on to the interview…

Karen, can you tell us what inspired you to write A Closer Look?

Ten years ago, my nephew’s grandmother arrived at a party with much shorter hair than usual and when I commented on it, she told me she’d donated her hair to an organization that makes wigs for children with alopecia areata.

I thought, whoa. There were kids out there living without hair?

Her random act of kindness touched me deeply and I proceeded to write a middle grade novel about kids who donate their hair. I was 80 pages into the first draft when I thought my main character might meet a child with alopecia. Then it hit me. I had to write the story of the girl who is losing her hair. So I started researching and started writing all over again.

I love that you were inspired by an event–your nephew’s grandmother donating her hair!

What was your road to publication like?

I wrote the first draft over ten years ago in one semester in Margaret Gabel’s amazing course: Workshop in Writing for Children at New School University in New York. I worked on the manuscript over six (not all consecutive) semesters.

I also write short fiction and have sold a number of short stories, games and crafts to Highlights for Children magazine. My middle grade short story, Surfing Iowa (July 2002) has been used for standardized testing numerous times since then. The editors there are fantastic to

I’m so excited–HUNTED (my teen Paranormal Fantasy/Dystopian) is coming out soon–on Dec 19th! And to celebrate that, I’m taking part in this holiday giveaway hop. (If you love contests, keep an eye on my blog around Dec 19th, when I’ll be hosting an *even bigger contest.*)

This contest, I’m giving away:

*15 signed short story postcards with a story that ties into HUNTED on one side, and SCARS on the other (who knows, these might become collector’s items someday)

*4 signed copies of HUNTED (these will ship when I get them, so after Dec 19th)

*3 signed copies of SCARS

*2 $5 Amazon gift cards

And **everyone can download my free short story ebook PinPoint (tie-in to HUNTED).** Go to SmashWords if you need it for Kindle, B&N if you need it for Nook, Reader Store if you need it for Sony, or the SmashWords link for all those formats and more.

You can also download all the free HUNTED goodies I’ve created, including the short story ebook, the postcard short story, the comic strip, the “newspaper article”, the teacher’s guide, and more.

Open to US & Canada, runs Dec 2-6th.

To enter this contest, you can have 4 total entries:

*1 entry by leaving a comment on this post
*1 entry for watching my book trailer for HUNTED (please be honest; I want to help get the word out about HUNTED)
*1 entry for tweeting or blogging about this contest or my book trailer
*1 entry for tweeting or blogging about HUNTED, my book trailer http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=uEvx0jdTdOw, or any of the HUNTED Goodies

HUNTED book trailer (1 entry to watch, up to 2 extra entries to tweet or post about it):

Enter to win 1 of 5 *signed* copies of HUNTED on GoodReads! Open to US, Canada, & UK.

Like Scars? Want to try a panarormal fantasy/dystopian YA novel by the same author? Then enter!

Enter to win

Lara M. Zeises (author of Bringing up the Bones, Contents Under Pressure, and more) has a new book out! Yes, yes she does! It’s called The Sweet Life of Stella Madison, and you can buy a copy at IndieBound.org, Amazon.com, BarnesandNoble.com, and many friendly neighborhood bookstores.

I’m excited! I’m definitely putting Lara’s book on my to-read list.

Lara has also redesigned and updated her website, and, starting Monday, she’ll be blogging about her new book for a week. The contest is US-only, though I’m hoping that if you have a US friend with a US address, it can be mailed to them. I’ll find out.

There are 10 chances to win Lara’s new book. To enter, you need to submit your favorite family recipe to Lara at her blog no later than midnight, August 8th, 2009. Her ten favorites will win one of the galleys, plus a copy of any of her backlist (Lara) books (you can choose which one they want - good while supplies last), both of which can be inscribed to whomever you want. Winning recipes will also appear on her blog as recipes of the week.

Here’s a description of Lara’s new book, The Sweet Life of Stella Madison. It’s already got me interested :

It’s not easy being the daughter of a famous chef and a restaurant owner when your idea of a great meal is the kind that’s served via a drive-through window.

Seventeen-year-old Stella Madison’s food-loving parents have been separated for years, but they’re still as sweet to each other as can be, which is just the way Stella likes it. When their connections help her land a summer job at the local newspaper, the salary is hard to resist. There’s only one catch: she’s expected to write about food.

Now Stella will need all the advice she can get to complete her assignments. Luckily, she has Jeremy, the hot new intern at her mom’s restaurant, who’s more than happy to help. Soon, Stella can’t stop thinking about Jeremy–but where does that leave Stella’s boyfriend, Max, who recently dropped the L-word? If that’s not confusing enough, her dad’s interest in the pretentious programming director of the Food Network seems to go beyond the culinary, and it looks like her mother might be cooking up a romance of her own.

Kimberly Pauley is having an online launch party with giveaways, from now until Sept. 10, for her debut book Sucks to Be Me: The All-True Confessions of Mina Hamilton, Teen Vampire (maybe)* at The Official Sucks to Be Me Book Launch Par-tay!

Kimberly will feature a different author and associated giveaway each day. You can return each day to enter for that giveaway (and, Kimberly says, “to learn about some of the coolest authors around!”). You’ll have a whole week to enter each daily contest, and each entry will also count towards a grand Prize Pack. Sounds like a lot of fun. I love book giveaways.** So who’s in?

*As you probably guessed from the title, Kimberly’s book has a vampire theme–Mina’s parents are vampires, and she has to decide whether she wants to be one or not in a month. It sounds really interesting, and I’m not much into vampires. I’m already hooked.

**Also, don’t forget about the book giveaway here that ends Aug 31, with a new one starting Sept 1.

I love receiving free books, and I’ll bet you do, too. You can enter to win one here.

At the end of August, I will be giving away a new ARC (Advance Reader Copy) of teen fiction book The Debs by Susan McBride.

(Please note: The book is an ARC, so there may be spelling errors or changes to the book that are not found in the published version.)

1) Once a month, or when I get to it, I’ll pick a book (or two) to give away to one (or two) lucky reader(s) (you don’t have to have a blog to enter). It may be a book that I’ve purchased new or used, or it may be an ARC or a review copy of a book I’ve recently reviewed. (If you receive an ARC from me, please don’t sell it online after you’ve read it.)

2) How to enter:
Leave a comment on this post with your name (and/or anything else you want to say). In August, the winner will be randomly selected by using the Random Integer Generator. lf you’re the winner, I’ll contact you, and you can email me the address you want the book shipped to. Open to anyone in any country. Giveaway closes August 31 at noon EST, so please enter before then.

3) If you’re the lucky winner of the book giveaway, I ask that you consider donating a book of your choice (new or used) to your local library or shelter after you’re done with it, or to host your own Book Pay-It-Forward on your site or blog.

4) If you’re really motivated and want to host your own “Pay It Forward” giveaway at any time, feel free to grab the button above to use on your own blog. Just let her know so she can publish a post plugging your giveaway and directing readers your way!

That’s it! Have fun. I’ll be holding the drawing on August 31 or a day or two after.

Getting books in the mail is so much fun–especially when they’re gifts or prizes.

Check out these contests to win children’s or teen books in July 2008.

YA Books

Be 1 of 5 winners to win a beach bag full of 10 new YA books–THE ADORATION OF JENNA FOX by Mary E. Pearson, BLACK RABBIT SUMMER by Kevin Brooks, GENERATION DEAD by Daniel Waters, HOW TO BE BAD by E. Lockhart, Sarah Mlynowski and Lauren Myracle, RUMORS: A Luxe Novel by Anna Godbersen, SAVVY GIRL by Lynn Messina, SUNRISE OVER FALLUJAH by Walter Dean Myers, THAT’S WHAT’S UP!: A Del Rio Bay Clique Novel by Paula Chase, UNBELIEVABLE: Pretty Little Liars #4 by Sara Shepard and WHAT WAS LOST by Catherine O’Flynn–at TeenReads.com. Read the book summaries, then fill out the form. The beach bag will also contain other summer goodies. Must be a US or Canadian resident to enter, over the age of 13. Contest closes Thursday, July 31, 2008.

Win 1 of 5 copies of Airhead by Meg Cabot. Grand prize winner also gets a copy of Queen of Babble Gets Hitched. Contest closes July 15, 2008, 11:59 pm Eastern Time.

Win YA books Wake by Lisa McMann; Debbie Harry Sings in French by Meagan Brothers; Dreamland by Sarah Dessen; The Off Season by Catherine Gilbert Murdock; Keeping the Moon by Sarah Dessen; and Rumors: A Luxe Novel by Anna Godbersen at The Story Siren Must answer survey giving feedback about the blog. Open worldwide. Contest closes July 31st 2008.

Win 1 of 3 copies of Split by a Kiss by Luisa Plaja. Must be a member of Kiwi Families online. Probably open only to Australians. Contest closes at 5pm on 4th July 2008.

Win 1 of 8 copies of Cathy’s Key at TeenReads.com–and enter for a chance to win an iPod (the grand prize winner will receive an iPod Touch, a copy of CATHY’S KEY in hardcover and a copy of CATHY’S BOOK in paperback; 2nd place winner will receive an iPod Nano, a copy of CATHY’S KEY in hardcover and a copy of CATHY’S BOOK in paperback; 3rd place winner will receive an iPod Shuffle, a copy of CATHY’S KEY in hardcover and a copy of CATHY’S BOOK in paperback). Contest open to US and Canadian residents age 13 and older. Contest closes July 24, 2008.

Win 1 of a 100 ARCs of sci-fi YA novel THE HUNGER GAMES by Suzanne Collins at TeenReads.com. Winners will be asked to write a review of the book, and those that comply will receive a hardcover copy. Contest open to US and Canadian residents age 13 and older. Contest closes July 29, 2008.

Children’s/Middle Grade Books

Win 1 of 3 copies of Gail Guthier’s A Girl, a Boy, and Three Robbers. Contest closes July 3, 2008.

Win a copy of Virus Games by G.L. Sheerin. Your comment on the blog must include a book recommendation for ages 9 to 12.Open worldwide. Contests closes July 27th at 11PM.

Win 1 of 4 children’s books at Jabberwocky; you choose from their list. Weekly giveaway. This week’s books include The Dragon’s Apprentice by Linda McNabbMay; Trixie Fights for Furry Rights by Ros Asquith; Wombat Goes Walkabout by Michael Morpurgo & Christian Birmingham; and Prince Caspian by C.S Lewis. May only be open to Australians (it doesn’t say).

Win 1 of a 10 collections of Narnia books from HarperCollins. Open only to US residents. Contest closes July 24, 2008 at 5:00 p.m. EST.

Win 1 of 10 signed copies of Seekers: The Quest Begins by Erin Hunter from HarperCollins.com. Open only to US residents. Contest closes July 24, 2008 5:00 p.m. (EST).

Win 1 of 3 copies of Ossie Kingsford by Val Bird. Must be a member of Kiwi Families online. Probably open only to Australians. Contest closes at 5pm on 4th July 2008.

Picture Books

Win an autographed copy of In My Backyard by Valarie Giogas at BayStateParent. Contest closes Saturday, July 5 at 11:59 p.m. EST.

Win 1 of 5 sets of board books from Gymboree, including Gymboree Alphabet, Gymboree Colors, Gymboree Number and Gymboree Shapes. Contest closes August 9, 2008.

Win 1 of 5 DVDs of picture book Corduroy (and other picture books) from La Parent. Open only to US residents. Contest closes July 24, 2008, 12:00 pm (EST).

Win 1 of 5 sets of 5 Scholastic picture books: Peek-a-Zoo, Star, Numbers, Petting Farm &Twinkle Twinkle Panda, at Classy Mommy Open only to US residents. Contest closes July 14th, 2008. (scroll down part way.)

Non-Fiction Children’s Books
Win 15 non-fiction children’s books at I.N.K. blog, ranging from April Pulley Sayre’s TROUT ARE MADE OF TREES to Jan Greenberg’s SIDE BY SIDE: NEW POEMS INSPIRED BY ART FROM AROUND THE WORLD and many more. Most of the books are 2008 and 2007 titles. To enter, in one sentence or less, tell them why you read the I.N.K. blog, and in as much space as you need, describe what you’ve done to support and encourage nonfiction in your classroom, library, home, or community. More details on the blog. Contest ends Friday, September 5th, 2008.

eBook Readers

Win a Sony ereader and 6 titles from James Patterson from Work It, Mom. Must be a sole or primary breadwinner mom and complete their online survey. Contest open only to US residents Contest closes July 7th, 2008.

Win a Sony Reader Digital Book, James Patterson edition. Must sign up for James Patterson newsletter first (link on the left). (James Patterson wrote the awesome YA series Maximum Ride.) Contest open to US and Canadian residents. Contest closes July 02, 2008, at 11:59 p.m. ET. (You get taken to a page that looks like an error after entering, but the url looks valid.)

Know of any other contests that should be listed here? Let me know, and I’ll update this post.

It’s fun to get free books that you’ll enjoy reading.

Here are some current contests on the web:

YA Books:

Win a copy of Darkside Nighttrap by Tom Becker. To enter, you must tell Susan at her blog the name of Bram Stoker’s book about a vampire. Contest ends June 12, 2008.

Win 1 of 5 copies of Sovay by Celia Rees. Ends July 1, 2008. It doesn’t list restrictions as to country, so perhaps it’s open to all. Bloomsbury UK.

Win 1 of 8 copies of Cathy’s Key at TeenReads.com–and enter for a chance to win an iPod (the grand prize winner will receive an iPod Touch, a copy of CATHY’S KEY in hardcover and a copy of CATHY’S BOOK in paperback; 2nd place winner will receive an iPod Nano, a copy of CATHY’S KEY in hardcover and a copy of CATHY’S BOOK in paperback; 3rd place winner will receive an iPod Shuffle, a copy of CATHY’S KEY in hardcover and a copy of CATHY’S BOOK in paperback). Contest open to US and Canadian residents age 13 and older. Contest closes July 24, 2008.

Win 1 of a 100 ARCs of sci-fi YA novel THE HUNGER GAMES by Suzanne Collins at TeenReads.com. Winners will be asked to write a review of the book, and those that comply will receive a hardcover copy. Contest open to US and Canadian residents age 13 and older. Contest closes July 29, 2008.

Win 1 of 5 copies of Triskellion by Will Peterson at YABooksCentral.com. Entrants must “Make up a family secret (not a real one! we don’t want to “out” a real family secret) — the stranger the better.” Open to residents of US, Canada, and Mexico. Contest closes June 30, 2008.

Win 1 of 15 copies of Lock and Key by Sarah Dessen at YAbookscentral.com. Entrants must write a poem about how they received help or gave help to someone. Open to residents of US, Canada, and Mexico. Contest closes June 30, 2008.

Win 1 of 3 copies of Avalon High: Coronation 2 by Meg Cabot at Yabookscentral.com. Entrants must answer the question “Which character from the Legend of King Arthur would you like to be and why (secondary characters are fine too!)?” Open to residents of US, Canada, and Mexico. Contest closes June 30, 2008.

Win 1 of a 10 collections of Narnia books from HarperCollins. Open only to US residents. Contest closes July 24, 2008 at 5:00 p.m. EST.

Win 1 of 10 signed copies of Seekers: The Quest Begins by Erin Hunter from HarperCollins.com. Open only to US residents. Contest closes July 24, 2008 5:00 p.m. (EST).

Midlde-Grade Books:

Win 1 of 3 copies of A Girl, a Boy, and Three Robbers by Gail Guthier. Contest closes July 3, 2008.

Picture Books:

Win an autographed copy of Rattlesnake Jam by Margot Finke. Entrants must write Finke and tell her their encounter with a rattler. Contest closes June 30, 2008.

Know of another contest to win a children’s or teen book? Post a comment and I’ll add it to this post.